As expected, HTC has unveiled the next revision of its HTC One flagship smartphone at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. Building on the successes of the HTC One M8, the HTC One M9 is more of a evolution rather than a revolution. With the M9, HTC has opted to use the same basic design philosophies of the M8, but with improvements where needed. So here is a quick look at how the new HTC One M9 compares to its previous iteration.

Design

The design language of the HTC One M9 is certainly familiar — the new device looks very similar to the M8 and borrows heavily from its playbook. If you liked the way the M8 looked then you are going to love the M9. However if you were expecting something different then you are going to be disappointed.

In terms of size, the two devices are almost identical. The body of the M9 is basically a fraction smaller than the M8. It is 1.8 mm shorter, 0.9 mm narrower, but 0.21 mm thicker. When held in the hand you would be hard pushed to feel the difference in size.

One of the subtle changes on the M9 is that the edges are more pronounced, which should make the device easier to grip, compared to the rather slippery M8. However the biggest design difference can be seen on the back. The One M9 features a squared camera module that protrudes slightly in order to accommodate the large sensor, while still maintaining the curved profile of the phone. HTC also gave up on the depth sensor from the M8, and relocated the power button to the side, which is a welcome change.

Display

While the HTC One M9 looks very similar to the One M8, the display is actually identical. While some OEMs are making the jump to Quad HD, HTC has decided to remain will Full HD (1920 x 1080) at the moment. For many people Quad HD is an unnecessary luxury at this time, so HTC’s choice should keep the majority users happy.

Performance and Hardware

The One M9 is among the first wave of devices to use the new Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 SoC. The 810 contains a 64-bit octa-core CPU and an Adreno 430 GPU. The eight cores are made up of four 2GHz Cortex-A57 cores and four 1.5GHz Cortex-A53 cores. HTC also upgraded the memory on the M9 to 3GB of RAM, while storage starts from 32GB.

The processor package is a nice leap up from last year’s M8. Which is quite as statement as the M8’s processor package was no slouch. Its Snapdragon 801 processor used four of Qualcomm’s highly respected Krait 400 cores, clocked at 2.3GHz.

The Snapdragon 810 doubles the number of cores from 4 to 8 and also introduces heterogeneous computing into the mix – meaning the more battery friendly 1.5GHz Cortex-A53 cores run simultaneously with the faster 2GHz Cortex-A57 cores, with Android utilizing the best core combinations for different workloads.

Thanks to the combination of 64-bit Lollipop and the latest 64-bit from Qualcomm, the M9 should perform really well at all tasks. However, with rumors swirling around potential throttling issues, caused by overheating, we’ll need some more time with the M9 to pass a judgement. With that said, in our time with it, we haven’t really seen any red flags, and the device ran like a champ.

One other small change is that the M9 uses a 2840 mAh battery, a nice little step up from the M8’s 2600 mAh unit.

Camera

HTC has finally decided to go back to “normal” camera sensors for the M9, well at least for the rear facing camera. The M8 used a 4 MP UltraPixel rear camera, with a Duo depth sensor, and dual LED flash. However the M9 uses a 20 MP sensor with a f2.2 lens. It can record video at 4K and has sapphire cover lens. On the front of the M9 the 4MP UltraPixel camera makes a reappearance, this time for selfies. It has a f/2.0, 26.8mm lens, and can record video in 1080p.

Software

HTC has made a few thoughtful additions to the software experience on the M9, mainly by adding some of the intelligence from Blinkfeed to other parts of the OS. For example, BlinkFeed is now integrated into the lockscreen, where it offers contextual info, based on the time of day and other factors.

The app launcher is smarter too, thanks to a widget that attempts to predict what apps you will need at any given moment. Another change over M8’s Sense 6 software, is the addition of a Theming app that will make it easier to change the appearance of the OS, either manually or through downloadable packs.

Conclusion at a glance

So there you have it – a quick look at the HTC One M9 vs the HTC One M8. In essence the HTC One M9 remains true to the HTC One design philosophies, however it is better. There is a faster processor package, more internal memory, and a new camera. For HTC One fans the M9 should receive a warm welcome, and from those who haven’t ever owned a HTC device, the M9 shows how HTC can take a good thing and make it better.

If you’re a serious football fanatic, or soccer for the benefit of our American friends, you may be interested in HTC’s new UEFA Collector’s Edition One M8 smartphone. The handset was announced in partnership with UK retailer Carphone Warehouse at an event with Manchester United legend Peter Schmeichel and Arsenal Women’s goalkeeper Emma Byrne.

The handset features exactly the same specifications as the regular HTC One M8, but comes with every Champions League winning team engraved into the back of the aluminium chassis, from Marseille in 1992 to Real’s 10th tournament win last season. Last year, HTC released a similar UEFA Collector’s Edition One M8 with a trophy engraved on the back.

If you’re looking to get your hands on one, you won’t be able to buy one online or in-store. Instead, HTC will be running a competition through its various social media channels, where winners will receive one of the few Collector’s Edition handsets. Better keep your eyes on HTC’s Facebook, Twitter and G+ pages.

Unparalleled performance on the pitch and design innovation combine to create a collector’s edition perfect for any UEFA Champions League fanatic

Football fans can now own a piece of UEFA Champions League history with the latest Collector’s Edition from HTC, the multi-award winner in mobile innovation and design, and the official smartphone partner of the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League.

The new Collector’s Edition HTC One (M8) sees every past UEFA Champions League winner engraved on the back. This is the second unveiling in the HTC UEFA Champions League Collector’s Edition range. HTC previously delighted football fans with a version of the HTC One (M8) emblazoned with an image of the UEFA Champions League trophy.

With its vivid, high-resolution 5″ screen, sophisticated metal body and brushed aluminium back, the stylish HTC UEFA Champions League Collector’s Edition is certain to be popular with fans.

Special features include Motion Launch™, enabling the HTC One (M8) to detect position and movement and HTC BoomSound™, that creates unrivalled sound with rich tones and incredible imaging capabilities, all adding up to an even better football viewing experience. The new Duo Camera with HTC’s UltraPixel™ sensor allows you to capture stunning images in any light – perfect for capturing all the football action.

The HTC UEFA Champions League Collector’s Edition can be enhanced still further with the addition of the HTC FootballFeed™ app, a unique Android offering that delivers a combination of news, up-to-the-minute UEFA.com stats, insight and exclusive experiences from every match during the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League.

The handset will be available exclusively to competition winners on HTC social media channels so will be a real collectable for any football fan and is being launched ahead of the key Champions League Arsenal match this evening.

]]>http://www.androidauthority.com/htc-uefa-champions-league-one-m8-589839/feed/42HTC anticipates the arrival of Lollipop update for the Verizon One M8 in early Marchhttp://www.androidauthority.com/htc-expects-lollipop-update-verizon-one-m8-early-march-588002/
http://www.androidauthority.com/htc-expects-lollipop-update-verizon-one-m8-early-march-588002/#commentsTue, 17 Feb 2015 23:05:13 +0000http://www.androidauthority.com/?p=588002

Just a few weeks ago, HTC announced that the update to Lollipop wouldn’t make its way to most One M7 and M8 owners within the company’s 90-day guarantee. Even though HTC had good reason to delay the update, this still discouraged many users hoping to try out the latest and greatest software in a timely fashion. But that didn’t stop the company from rolling out the Lollipop update to multiple M8 handsets only days after that announcement. We’ve seen the T-Mobile, Unlocked, Developer Edition, GPe and certain European variants get the update, and now it will soon be Verizon’s turn.

Mo Versi, HTC‘s Product Manager, took to Twitter to respond to a user’s inquiry on the Verizon HTC One M8 Lollipop update. In response, Versi told the user that the Verizon M8 Lollipop update is “in the lab,” and that the company is expecting approval for the update in the first week of March. We don’t have an exact date as to when the update will roll out, but at least now we have a pretty reliable timeframe.

Verizon may not be the quickest carrier with software updates, and HTC may have missed their 90-day guarantee, but now we know the company is working hard on the update. If you have a Verizon HTC One M8, you may want to start checking for a software update in the coming weeks. Head to Settings>Software update>Check new.

Update: T-Mobile and HTC have had to hold back your Lollipop update, get yourself a good nights rest and return to mashing the Check for Updates button again tomorrow, Feb. 10. LG’s support page says you’ve got a 634MB download ahead of you, and will land you on software version 4.20.531.4.

We are officially in full swing for OTA updates of Android 5.x Lollipop for a number of flagship devices. Last week was post after post of Samsung’s Galaxy S5 receiving the update, and now we get to inform you that the T-Mobile branded HTC One (M8) will start receiving the update this coming Monday, February 9th.

The news comes via a quick tweet from Mo, who says that T-Mobile has received the required Technical Approval for the update. While this does not offer a specific game plan or roll out schedule, the exact words “OTA to start on Monday” are still magic to the ears of those HTC One (M8) owners that have been holding their breath waiting for their shot at Lollipop.

The update has taken a little longer than HTC’s promised 90 days from official Lollipop release to reach handsets. Now that it is arriving, you’ll at least have a few weeks to play with it before you get to decide if you’ll keep it, or upgrade hardware to the anticipated new HTC One (M9).

What aspect of Android Lollipop are you most looking forward to on your T-Mobile HTC One (M8)?

The leaked schedule comes from Android Central, and indicates that the One M8 and the M8 Harman Kardon Special Edition will see the update on February 13th, with the LG G3 following on the 16th. It goes without saying that the dates listed are tentative and could certainly be subject to change, but the bigger takeway is that most major OEMs are holding true to their promises to bring Android 5.0 Lollipop to their flagship devices in the earlier part of 2015.

What do you think of the way the Lollipop update has been handled by carriers? What do you think of Lollipop in general? Let us know in the comments.

HTC may be a little behind with its 90 day Android Lollipop roll-out goal, but the company is still pushing out updates for its flagship smartphone. Android Lollipop will be heading out to Canadian HTC One M8 owners within the next 24 hours.

Answering questions via Twitter yesterday, HTC’s own Mo Versi confirmed that the company has received technical approval from Rogers and TELUS regarding updates for the M8 and that an over-the-air rollout would begin the following day (which is today).

@Enea77@HTCCanada Alessandro, we’ve received technical approval from Rogers this afternoon on M8! OTA will also start tomorrow! Thanks.

Furthermore, HTC Canada’s Twitter account also confirmed that a similar update would be making its way to the HTC One M7 “soon”, although a more specific time frame wasn’t given. Hopefully, we should see news about the update appear in the near future.

@ohhwhen Thanks for asking. The HTC One (M7) update is also on it’s way soon, please stay tuned for updates on our social channels.

When Google first rolled out the Android L developer’s preview back at I/O 2014, HTC announced that they would bring the the new update to One M8 and M7 owners within 90 days of the source code being posted. The promise for timely updates is part of the HTC Advantage, a program that assures customers will get timely updates, cracked screen replacements, and free cloud storage. Once Google released the source code for Android 5.0 Lollipop back in November, HTC’s Mo Versi took to Twitter to announce that the 90-day countdown has started, and that M8 and M7 owners would soon receive their Lollipop updates. 90 days from that announcement falls on February 1st, and with that date rapidly approaching, HTC has announced that they won’t make their 90-day deadline.

HTC says that the 90-day deadline has helped them move along with the update quite rapidly thus far. However, since Google has been constantly updating the code ever since its release, HTC has had a hard time keeping up.

We’ve been working hard in the labs with Google and our carrier partners ever since the code release and are making great progress so far, but if you’ve been following the progress of this rollout you will know that Google has had to address several issues with this release. We’ve been diligently working to fix some of them on our end and incorporating Google’s fixes as quickly as possible, but despite everyone’s best efforts some carrier versions of the HTC One (M8) and HTC One (M7) will not meet our 90 day goal, which is February 1st. While we are committed to delivering within this time period, we are even more committed to ensuring these updates result in an even better experience with your device because that is what the updates are intended to do.

HTC explains that they are taking every necessary precaution to ensure that their users will get the smoothest experience possible. While this news is disappointing, many would argue that HTC taking their time is a good thing. We’ve heard many reports from Moto X (2nd Gen.) owners that are unhappy with the update, and that Motorola should have waited until Lollipop was significantly less-buggy. No matter the case, we know HTC is working hard to get the update pushed out as soon as they can.

We’ve seen the Lollipop update come to Google Play, Unlocked, and Developer Editions of the One M8, and HTC ensures us that other variants aren’t too far behind.

Last summer, HTC promised the One (M8) would be updated to Android L within 90 days of the release of the L source code to HTC. That term expires on February 3, and it looks that HTC will hold its promise, at least for users of One (M8) in Europe.

HTC communications executive Jeff Gordon teased the release of Lollipop to European variants of the M8 on Twitter:

HTC One (M8) owners in Europe, have a sweet tooth this morning? Check your software updates!

Several users on Twitter and Reddit are confirming the arrival of the OTA update in Europe, as well as the Middle East. According to noted HTC ROM developer and leaker LlabTooFeR, the updated software version is 4.16.401.10 and the update weighs in at 780MB.

HTC rolled out Lollipop to the developer and unlocked versions of the One (M8) earlier this month, but now the rollout is going out to carrier versions. As always, these rollouts go out in waves, and depending on your carrier (and luck), it may take a while before the OTA hits your phone. But it doesn’t hurt checking manually from the About Phone section.

There aren’t many visual changes, but core features like lockscreen notifications, floating notifications, the redesigned notification dropdown, and the new recent activities interface are all present.

While some HTC One M8 owners are eagerly waiting for the Android Lollipop update to appear, AT&T has finally gotten around to updating its model of the handset with last year’s Android 4.4.4 update. The same update rolled out to other carrier branded handsets all the way back in October.

The 3.42.502.1 software versions brings with it a host of bug fixes and tweaks, including improvements to HD Voice and the handset’s battery life. However, HTC’s Eye Experience software suit is sadly absent from the update, as it is still listed as in the certification stage on HTC’s website. Speaking of which, Lollipop still appears to be in the integration stage for the AT&T handset variant, meaning that it has not yet reached certification. The same applies for other carriers as well.

Here is a copy of the changelog:

Enables HD Voice

Updates Android OS to Android 4.4.4

Security enhancement

Bluetooth enhancement

Adds AMBS Cloud Messaging Integration

Adds Copy and Paste camera feature

Adds Usage Manager App

Improves battery performance

Updates AT&T Ready2Go

Updates Visual Voicemail

If you haven’t received the update notification yet, you can always head on over to Settings > Software > Check for updates to manually force a check.

Earlier this morning we caught a glimpse of Android 5.0 Lollipop for the HTC One M8 via an unofficial video leaked to the web. While a close up look is better than nothing, we’re sure HTC owners are eagerly awaiting the actual rollout. The good news is that, for owners of unlocked or developer edition One M8 handsets, it appears that the day has finally come!

News of the update comes from HTC’s Mo Versi, who revealed the good news on Twitter. While Mo says the OTA will start rolling out tonight, we have already heard several reports across the web that suggest some folks are already seeing the upgrade. If checking for an update yields no result for you just yet, don’t panic, as we imagine it will be a matter of hours, days or even weeks before it reaches everyone.

HTC One (M8) Unlock and Dev Owners! We have received TA from Google on Lollipop + Sense 6. OTA will be out starting tonight. #HTCAdvantage

Keep in mind that those with carrier-branded HTC One M8 hardware will likely be waiting quite a bit longer for Lollipop, though we’ll be sure to update you as soon as we know more. As for what’s new? We don’t have a full change-log just yet, though obviously Lollipop is the biggest change here. We imagine that at least some of HTC’s apps have been updated a little bit but we have no specifics for you at this time.

For those that already received the update, what region are you in and what do you think so far? Any other notable changes outside of Lollipop? Let us know in the comments below.